His advice came after a party trapped between two gushing streams had to be rescued on Saturday night.

He said the rescue team was called out 10 times in just nine days, compared with just 85 call outs throughout 2005.

Mr Roberts said more pleasant weather in the valleys was proving deceptive about conditions high in the mountains where there was still a lot of snow and ice.

He said: "Streams are in spate because of melting snow and also heavy rain. They are chest high and very dangerous." "Despite the warmer weather snow is still lying quite hard on the peaks," he added..

On Saturday a medical student was rescued from the 3,560ft peak after he was taken ill with hypothermia. Llanberis mountain rescue team received a call at 3pm after a party of 11 got stuck near the old stable on Llanberis Path.

On Saturday night three climbers were brought down Snowdon by a rescue team after being stuck on a ledge in the darkness.

One of the men, aged 45, was from Pontypridd, and the others, aged 22 and 48, from Nottingham.